ENCOUNTER CASE

Was Modi questioned in Ishrat Jahan encounter case?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was interrogated in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, claimed retired DIG D.G. Vanzara, who is the prime accused in the case.

In his application before a special CBI court in Ahmedabad, Vanzara said the materials pertaining to Modi's questioning was not placed on record of the case.

"Then chief minister and present prime minister Shri Narendra Modi was also called by the IO and was interrogated. However, such material is not placed on record of this case,” he said.

"But the fact remains that it was the intention on part of the then investigating team, which included one Mr Satish Verma, IPS, was anyhow on mission so as to reach the then CM of the state and to rope him in as the accused in this case, and for that purpose the story of the whole charge sheet is concocted and created," Vanzara said in his application.

The court issued notice to the CBI seeking its response by March 28.

Ishrat Jahan, a 19-year-old girl from Mumbra near Mumbai, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged staged encounter with police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. The Gujarat police had claimed the four had links with terrorist organisations, and wanted to kill Modi.

But a special investigating team set up by the Gujarat High Court concluded that it was a fake encounter. The HC then transferred the case to the CBI. In the first charge sheet filed in 2013, the CBI had named seven Gujarat police officers including IPS officers Pandey, Vanzara and G.L. Singhal for kidnapping, murder and conspiracy.

Former in-charge DGP of Gujarat P.P. Pandey, a co-accused, was discharged by the CBI court three weeks ago.